09:05 AM EDT, 08/21/2024 (MT Newswires) -- (Updates with response from Google ( GOOG ) in last paragraph.)

Alphabet's (GOOG, GOOGL) Google ( GOOG ) must face a class-action lawsuit by users of Google Chrome who alleged that the company collected private information without permission, a US appeals court ruled Tuesday, according to media outlets.

Federal judges ruled 3-0 that the lower court should have allowed the suit to go forward. The class action covers Chrome users who choose not to connect their browsers to their Google ( GOOG ) email accounts after July 27, 2016, Reuters reported.

The decision came after Google ( GOOG ) destroyed billions of records to settle another lawsuit claiming it tracked people without authorization, the reports said.

A Google ( GOOG ) spokesperson said the company was confident it would successfully fend off the class action suit. "We disagree with this ruling and are confident the facts of the case are on our side," Jose Castaneda said in a statement emailed to MT Newswires. "Chrome Sync helps people use Chrome seamlessly across their different devices and has clear privacy controls."

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